Hearts of Fire Diamond Ring Ad

The smaller text says,

Every hearts on fire diamond is cut and polished at 100% magnification to guarantee a life of intensity.

I honestly don't know what we're supposed to get out of this--that buying this ring will bring so much passion and "intensity" to your relationship (by setting your "hearts on fire") that there will be no reason to stray? That buying her a ring will turn her on so much that the sex will be fantastic enough to satisfy him? I really don't know.

From Metropolitan Home.

An Alternative Image Of Love

Miguel in Barcelona sent us this government-sponsored poster aimed at promoting egalitarian relationships. He translates the text as:

The love has to be free
Free of machismo
Free of fights
Free of jealousy

This image, as a representation of idealized egalitarian love, is a nice contrast to the representations of love common in the U.S. (and in Spain?) that make power asymmetry sexy, desirable, and constituitive of love. Consider the love affair between this apple and pear and these two images (which look more like the fruit than Miguel's image above):

Thanks to Miguel for sending us our first image from Spain!

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Patrick Philippe Watches: Commodifying Family Traditions

This is an ad I found in The New Yorker for Patek Philippe watches. The text in the lower-left corner says "You never actually own a Patrick Philippe. You merely take care of it for the next generation." So by buying an expensive, new watch, you're creating a "tradition." I'm going to use this in the future when I talk about inventing traditions.

Steak and a Blow Job Day

Krystle, a junior sociology major at Colorado College, sent us this link to the Facebook page for men's answer to Valentine's Day, Steak and a Blowjob Day.


There are at least a couple interesting things about this:

First, it nicely illustrates the feminization of love and the masculinization of sex. Since Valentine's Day is about love, it's gendered feminine, and the things thought to be appropriate gifts for Valentine's Day are both for her and feminine (candy, candles, flowers, romance, etc). The solution? Why a day for men, of course! (Since they get absolutely nothing out of Valentine's Day.) And what would a day for men include? Steak and blow jobs.

Second, the Day might be used as an example of social networks and how new technologies facilitate a completely different kind of communication. Click here for an analysis of how Steak and a Blow Job Day, with more than 38,000 confirmed guests for this year as of this post, is an example of successful "viral marketing."

Oh yeah... and the misogyny, always the misogyny:


Thanks Krystle!

Cartier Ad: How Far [Into Debt] Would You Go for Love?

Proving your love = spending a lot of money. I found this in the New Yorker.

Clicking And Browsing Your Way Down The Aisle

This is a fun image from today's New York Times article about online dating sites that might be a nice background to a discussion of online dating or social networks more generally (or an illustration of the normalization of heterosexual marriage):

Gender Roles and Weddings

An ad for a floral shop: "He chose her. She chose us."

Found in Zions Bank Community magazine, January/February 2008 issue.

Pillows for Japanese Singles

'Boyfriend's Arm Pillow' - Strong Silent Type. Likes to Cuddle.


Via: USA Today


'The Lap Pillow' by Japanese toymaker Trane Co.

Via: Tribune India

Sexuality And Race

This week there were two postcards on PostSecret, a blog that posts people's secrets anonymously, about sexuality and race.

Guys And Dolls

This 50-minute documentary is about men who are in romantic relationships with high-end sex dolls. It's a must watch. There is a lot to see in this movie: objectification of women, for sure; also the sad lonliness of men who don't want to, can't, or don't think they can, be in a relationship with a real woman; as my friend Jason pointed out, the way in which the men project an interest in clothes and make-up onto their dolls; and so much more.



The Real Dolls website is worth a look, too.

The Commodification of Sex and Love

The Great Happiness Space is an amazing full-length documentary (available in full online) about "host" clubs in Japan. These clubs service women, mostly sex workers, who buy time with men (hosts, who also get a cut of all the money the women spend on alcohol) who pretend like they love them. The women establish long-term relationships with their hosts, spend sometimes 10s of thousands of dollars in a night, all to have the feeling that someone cares for them. So they earn tons of money giving sex to men and then they turn around and give that money back to men who give them affection (and sometimes sex). The hosts make between 10,000 and 50,000 a month. Also a great study in cross-cultural gender differences.